For Now And For Ever
by EternalDreamLand
Summary: There are things in life that can't be controlled. Just when you think you found the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, you end up loosing that special someone. [PriestessAssassin]
1. Default Chapter

**Chapter 1 **

A dark lock of hair fell in her eyes, as the gentle rush of the spring breeze passed by, creating a rhythmic rustle from the leaves overhead. She quietly lowered her book to glance at the figure resting on her lap. His silvery bangs fell gracefully across his face, covering the eyes she loved dearly. She gently brushed the strands away, letting her fingers linger there for a moment longer.

A small grin formed on her lips. "You're awake," she stated teasingly, playing with the collar of his shirt in an attempt to tidy it.

"Hmmph." Was his reply as he lazily opened up his eyes.

The golden orb slowly descended the horizon, tainting the sky in crimson colours as the wind made contact against their skin.

"Don't you just wish we could stay like this forever?" She said wistfully, letting go of the collar to trace the outline of his jaw.

"We can't have everything we want," he said distantly. After a short pause, he continued, "It's going to be all right."

"What?" She stared at him, puzzled

"The trip tomorrow,"

"Oh…" Her face darkened. "So you are going after all…"

"I'm sorry Kyra, but I have to do this." He whispered, his voice full of pain.

"Please don't go…" she pleaded, clenching her fists in desperation, as tears swelled up inside her eyes.

"I know it's going to be dangerous, but Trean needs me there." He replied sternly, removing his head from her lap, slowly moving into a crouching position. "Look…" He put a hand to her cheek, "this is important for Trean. You know that. I can't turn my back on him."

She glanced up to meet his warm gaze. "If you leave tomorrow, I'll never see you again." She said shakily, as the salty droplets slid down her cheeks.

"Don't say that," he told her sorrowfully, kissing her tears away, "I promise I'll come back."

She shook her head gravely. "Don't lie. You know nobody _ever_ came back from there alive…." She buried her face inside her hands, as more tears fell.

"I don't want to leave you, you know that." He pulled her hands away, and gradually shifted onto his knees, their foreheads almost touching, "I love you more than anything else in this world…"

She blinked. This is the first time he ever said that to her. Her shocked expression gradually melted into a soft smiled, full of sorrow. "I love you too, Ryo."

_If only… this can last forever… _

_I don't want to lose you…not yet. _

_I want more time… I **need** more time…_

"I'm coming with you," she stated abruptly.

_Even if I never get the chance come back here… at least I will be able to spend my last few moments with the one person I want to be with. _

"What?" He narrowed his eyes.

"I'm coming with you," she repeated, more firmly this time.

"No, you are not." He replied, sitting down at the green patch beside her. "It's too dangerous. I can't let you risk your life like this."

"It's my choice Ryo," she whispered, taking his hand between her own, "I _want_ to be there for you… and to know you're safe."

"I can't fight knowing you could be hurt nearby. I don't have the time to be worried about you in the middle of a battle."

"I can take care of myself," she told him stubbornly, "I might be a priestess, but I'm a darn good one. I can support well enough to keep myself _and_ the party members alive."

"Look, I'm not criticizing your support skills," he explained, squeezing her hand, "It's just that I can't help being worried about you. And… you're naturally distracting." He added as an afterthought, breaking into a small grin. "I remember the first time I met you, I almost-"

She cut him off. "Not almost. You _did_ run into the tree." She smiled. "How can I forget that? Ryoku the best assassin in Midgard, reduced to running into a palm tree."

"Actually… I was hoping you'd forget that part..." He rubbed the back of his head good-naturedly, grinning. "I couldn't help it. You were so beautiful that I couldn't take my eyes off of you."

"Liar," she laughed, "you accidentally got sun block inside your eyes, and crashed into that tree because you couldn't see where you were going."

"Uh… that's… what I meant to say?" he replied innocently, "we had so much fun back then…. Before all _this _started."

"Before you met me, you mean…" She looked crestfallen.

"No… Kyra, that's not what I meant. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

She blushed. "But this _is_ my fault. Leika ran away because of me," she stated guiltily.

"That's not true. It was _my_ fault," Ryo sighed, "I never knew she felt that way about me… Trean and I have been best friends for years. I never thought for a split second that his little sister would fall for me of all people."

"I have to admit, you certainly are attractive,"she teased, giving him a small peck on the cheek, "I'm glad I met you. No matter what happens in the future. That won't change. I just wish things turned out differently."

"Me too." He shook his head, as the last trace of light disappeared from the horizon. "Out of all places, she _had _to go to Glast Heim Castle, where the FallenAngels reign."

Kyra shivered. "I hope she's all right…"

He nodded. _She better be, or I don't know how I'm going to live with myself, knowing it was my fault. _

"I have to find her, and take her back," he said with determination, "I've know her for years, she's almost like a sister to me."

"I may not know her as well as you do, but she's my friend too." The priestess glanced up at the sky. It was a clear night out. "You can't change my mind about this Ryo. I'm going no matter what."

"I don't want you to get hurt, Kyra." He pulled her into his arms, as she snuggled closer, tucking her head under his chin.

His warmth was comforting, "Fallen Angel is the strongest guild around. If you want to look for Leika inside their territory you need as many priests with you as possible. I can't do much, but support is the one thing I'm good at."

"I trust you with my life, but there's so little we can do when we're up against _them," _he grimaced, " we have a bad history with them, which means they won't hesitate in killing all of us off if they find us inside their territory."

"Still, if more people come with you, you'll have a better chance to survive." Kyra pointed out, "I don't need your permission for this. I'm sure Trean would love to have me on this trip."

"It doesn't matter what Trean thinks. It's Faya's opinion that matters. She might want you to stay at the castle to help defend against any sudden attacks. You don't have to do what I say, but you need to follow her orders."

She shrugged. "There're so many priests inside the guild. I don't see why she has to keep _me _here."

"Leika's missing and Dento's coming with us tomorrow. If you come as well, the guild would have only 3 priests left. Three priests aren't enough to support 28 people in a sudden attack."

"It's not like anybody can get past the entrance in the first place." She snorted. "With 5 dependable wizards in the guild, constantly Quagmiring and Storm Gusting, nobody stands a chance."

"Anything can happen in a castle siege. Faya's not the type to leave any room for error." He plainly stated, "Look, this isn't the way I want to spend my last night with you. I don't want to argue. Can't we just enjoy the time we have?"

She smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry for getting carried away. Let's talk about this when we get back to the castle."

Ryo leaned back against the trunk, pulling Kyra with him. She settled against the curve of his shoulder. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, refusing to let go. Their gazes drifted to the blanket of stars overhead.

**_If only everything can stay this way… forever. _**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you guys for the nice reviews. I know assassin/priest pairing is too common these days, but I personally have an obsession with male assassins. I swear they're so hot! Um… anyways! Hopefully this won't be your average fic. I'll try to keep this interesting. I'm sorry this chapter took so long to write. I had midterms to study for .

**Chapter 2**

By the time they arrived at the castle, it was well past midnight. The dim flame flickering from the rows of torches lit up the entrance. A large impatient figure stood by the main hall, waiting. He frowned in irritation, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

"You're late," he stated in exasperation. Late was more than an understatement. "Faya wants to see you." He said to Ryo, with a hint of jealousy inside his voice. "She told me to send you straight to her chamber when you come back."

The assassin nodded in acknowledgement, pulling Kyra into tighter embrace at the mention of Faya's name. It was common knowledge that the Guild Mistress favoured the silver haired man. And it was also well known throughout the guild that _the huntress_ gets what she wants. The priestess wouldn't dare to criticize the Guild Mistress's behaviors, but there were times when even she couldn't hold her emotions in check.

Kyra glanced up, searching for any emotion that would give away Ryo's feelings toward this situation, but there were none at all. She gently pulled herself away from his embrace, moving toward the direction of her bedroom. "I'm going to change," her voice echoed softly, "I will be there as soon as I get into a pair of clean clothes."

He grabbed onto her wrist, making her turn around in surprise. "It's going to be all right." He told her gently, catching her hopeless gaze only moments before.

She nodded, making her way down the hall, which led to the living quarters of the guild's female members.

"So?" the knight inquired, his voice full of amusement, "Are you coming?"

The assassin grunted in reply, following him closely behind. They made their way up the stairs to the second floor, where Faya kept her office and her chamber.

"Why do you look so grave?" he inquired curiously, surprised by the assassin's dreaded movements, "Faya might be angry at your tardiness, but you practically get away with everything. I don't see why you are so stressed over this. "

"You don't understand…" he told the blonde in a low tone, "If I don't do this right, somebody _will _die."

The knight's eyes widened slightly, but he shrugged it off. Ryo was always a little different from the rest of the people in the guild. There's probably nothing to worry about. "Just take it easy, man." He put a hand on his shoulder, before turning the other way. "Good luck in there." _I'll never understand what the beautiful huntress sees in him…_

A soft knock was heard from the oak door. Natural instinct told her to lift up her head from the piles of paper scattered around her desk to inspect the entrance.

_Must be Ryo… _

Her eyes shifted over to the tall grandfather clock to the left.

_1:14. That was late, even for him._

A soft sigh escaped her lips, "come in." She said loudly.

The assassin entered the room silently, closing the door behind him. "You wanted to see me?" he spoke distantly, eyes full of unsuppressed emotions. She saw a flicker of anger within his dark orbs, before they returned to their normal blank state.

_Anger… was it directed at me? _She found herself wondering.

"Oh yes," she replied, after realizing he still expected an answer, "I was just going to ask your plans for tomorrow."

His eyes darkened momentarily, a flash of emotions Faya couldn't distinguish filled his blue orbs.

"We're leaving at noon," he replied hesitantly, an internal battle raging inside. Should he let go of his pride for the sake of Kyra's safety? "I need a favor, Faya…" His mind was made.

"Oh?" she raised a brow in question. Last time he asked for one, she had to break the alliance with the Fallen Angels to ally Divine. "I can't promise anything, but tell me what you want, and I'll see." The huntress knew she could deny him of nothing, yet she felt the need to say that for the sake of her pride.

"Keep Kyra here. Forbid her from coming with me."

_There it is again…_Faya finally understood what that emotion she saw only moments before was. It was fear… Ryo was actually afraid!

_Is Kyra the only one that can make him feel anything at all? _

"If she wants to go with you, my words will do no good," Faya retorted sourly, not even trying to hide the jealousy inside her voice.

"Is that a no then?"

Faya is the kind of a person, who knows what she wants and how to get it… but when it comes to Ryo, she's as clueless as ever.

"Why?" she stared at him in defeat, "why her?"

"… Please don't do this…this isn't the time…" The assassin pleaded. He already had Kyra and Leika to worry about. He didn't _need _Faya in the mix as well.

"So you're going to avoid this subject forever?" she demanded, her eyes lit up in anger, enraged by his insensitivity.

"I never meant for any of this to happen." He told her in desperation, "I didn't ask for you and Leika to feel that way about me, and I sure the hell didn't plan to meet Kyra. I can't change anything that happened, or how anybody else feels. I'm trying to do the best I can to deal with all this. But sometimes, I don't know what the right thing to do is."

She smiled bitterly, her rage still vivid inside her hazel orbs. "If you had your ways, you probably wish you never met me at all. Things would have been a lot easier for you if you hadn't."

"Even if that's true, I refuse to regret anything I've done in the past. God knows I might live longer being optimistic." He cracked a smile to prove his point.

This was exactly what she loved about him. _No matter how bad things got… he was always… _she trailed off. _Ryo wasn't always likes this. He was once cold, distant… perhaps even emotionless. Maybe… just maybe, Kyra did change him for the better. _

She shook that thought away. _He isn't meant to be with her. He belongs with me…Time healed him… it had nothing to do with that priestess. _

"Fay, I promise we'll talk about this when I get back. Not now, please. After I fix things with Leika, I'll make things up to you." The last thing Ryo ever wanted was a girlfriend. Ironically enough, he had 3 beautiful women after him. It was any other man's dream, but his personal nightmare.

"Fine," she replied, knowing that was the best offer she could get out of him, "I'll consider _who_ I will allow to go with you. But keep in mind, the guild is my top priority."

For the second time that night, Faya found herself staring at the doorway. Someone was knocking on her door- Kyra.

"Come in," she called out in an even tone, trying to keep herself together. _I can't let her know I'm jealous… I refuse to show my weakness to my opponent. It will jeopardize my position in the guild. _

"What brought you here, Kyra?" she inquired politely, with a hint of superiority inside her voice. She knew perfectly well why the priestess was here. It was such a pity that she _enjoyed_ tormenting her. Kyra was afraid of the Guild Mistress, Faya knew that well enough.

The priestess didn't reply. Her gaze was directed at the thick crimson carpet below her feet, as if it would give her an answer.

"Well?" The huntress demanded, enjoying this greatly. She was making the younger woman uncomfortable.

"Stop it Fay, you know why she's here. Just give her an answer." Ryo's eyebrow twitched in anger. She was going too far, even for her.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do Ryoku," There was no way Faya would lose face in front of the priestess. "Last time I checked, I was still the leader of this guild."

_Faya can be so stubborn at times…_Ryo thought to himself in irritation. He knew better than to feel threatened by her. What would she do? Kick him out of the guild? He laughed mentally at that though. _Yeah right, like she'll ever do that._

Then a sudden thought struck. _What if she grants Kyra's request to spite me…?_

"Please let me go with Ryo tomorrow," said the priestess with a hint of desperation, "I believe it's in the guild's best interest to have at least 2 priests along. It will be a party of 7. Dento is talented at supporting, but I do think another should go with him to attend to any wounded, if there is any."

"If I permit you to go, then there will only be 3 priests attending to the 23 members who will be here in the castle." Faya pointed out in full honestly, "I need as many healers here as possible. Our relation with Exile has worsened. I'm certain they will lunge an attack on us within the next few days. They want this castle, I'm sure of it."

_I may hate you, Kyra… but I don't lie. This guild is the most important thing to me. I refuse to do anything to jeopardize it. _"I can't let you go with him. I need you here to help defend this castle." She spoke after careful consideration.

_As much as I hate saying this… I really do need her. We've been so short on priests since Leika left. I can barely spare Dento… but Ryo needs **someone **there. _

"Then I'll switch places with Dento." Kyra declared to Faya's amazement.

_I never thought she'd go as far as to… _"What makes you think you're more capable than him?"

Kyra blushed. "I don't think I'm better than him… It's just…" She trailed off. _I can't tell her I don't trust any other priest supporting Ryo... _"I have been a priest for a longer period of time. I have more experience handling emergencies."

"Is that so…" she turned to Ryo with a spiteful look. He knew exactly what she was thinking. _Should I do what you bid me…? Or let her go for my own amusement… _

The silver haired man clenched his fist in anger. "You want to know why I've never loved you, Faya?"

The priestess and the huntress turned to him in surprise. Just what exactly was he thinking?


End file.
